Our lives in the Peace Corps

In the foreground, piles of used clothing. Large bins of clothing arrive from the US and are sold in this section of the market. Because the items come from the States, its common to see people wearing t-shirts celebrating a 1999 5k run in Massachusetts or a 2003 Florida Marlins World Series victory. Think of the racks at the local thrift store dumped into piles on the side of the road.

Behind the clothing are the vans that provide transport between Benin’s bigger towns and cities. Jen and I take this style van from Cotonou to Porto Novo, about 60 – 90 minutes away depending on traffic. The trip costs 500 CFA ($1). From Porto Novo, we take a motorcycle taxi to our town, another 15 minutes away. That trip costs 250 CFA.

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